Encounter
by CometheDawn
Summary: She hadn't really thought she'd actually have the chance to see him, but given what happened when the officially met she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore.  At least he was absolutely gorgeous.
1. Chapter 1

_Title: Encounter_

_Author: CometheDawn_

_Rating: K_

_Summary: She hadn't really thought she'd actually have the chance to see him, but given what happened when the officially met she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore._

_Notes: This is the sequel to my story 'Unexpected'._

_Bleach and Naruto belong to their perspective owners-not me._

_And so begins the Encounter..._

She knew who he was the second felt his presence. She was immediately bathed in power, fear, and awe. It was him that had saved her that fateful night three months ago. She had wanted to believe it was a dream, but his presence in front of her right that second eliminated that possibility. Sakura immediately rose to her feet and bowed at the waist as the door swung open.

"Thank you so very much for your assistance." Sakura could feel the heat of his eyes on her person and yet he held fast to his silence. She shivered slightly at his regard.

"Sakura, do you know this man?" Tsunade asked when her pupil jumped to her feet when this tall, dark, and handsome stranger entered her office without permission. While he was physically appealing to some women it wasn't enough to excuse his rudeness.

"Yes, master." Sakura replied rising slowly, but not once taking her eyes off the man before her. He was…beautiful. His eyes were the color of smoke after a fire and his hair was darker than a raven's feather. His face was cold and commanding and his posture spoke of arrogance or rather self-confidence that permeated his being.

It also spoke of power.

"And how is it that you know this man?" Tsunade demanded growing more irritated that Sakura was unable to tear her eyes away from the man.

"He saved my life, master."

"And the reason you haven't told me of this encounter?" Tsunade demanded sharply. Sakura sighed sensing the rising ire of her teacher. She sought to pacify her and let her know that it had not been her intention to keep secrets.

"Because I was certain it was too weird to be anything but a dream until I sensed his presence coming closer to your office."

"I see." Tsunade said and then turned towards their visitor noting that he wasn't alone. Tsunade eyed the red head with the odd face tattoos briefly before turning back to the man who was obviously in control. "Since, Sakura has vouched for you then for the time being you don't have to worry about me kicking your ass and throwing you out this office. That being said, explain your presence here immediately. I don't have time for frivolities."

Sakura lips twitched as she thought of the sake hidden in the desk drawer of her teacher certain that she knew the woman was itching to have a bit of it, yet the woman had _no time for frivolities. _

He immediately began speaking not even bothering to introduce himself. She didn't know who he was or where he came from but she could feel unspeakable power radiating off his person. It made her shiver.

"Renji." He said, and the red-head began to speak.

"You may have noticed a remarkable amount of unexplainable deaths in this village as of late. We have come to explain why."

Sakura's eyes widened. That really wasn't the way to come into the leader of their village's office. It sounded like a threat even though his tone in no way changed to indicate he meant them harm. Sakura glanced back and forth between the two anxiously. This man had saved her; she reassured herself, why would he come here to threaten them? It was contradiction or so she told herself.

"Then by all means do so." Tsunade said dangerously. The air crackled with animosity and Sakura suddenly wished she were anywhere but where she was—in between two insurmountable powers.

"Four years ago two great powers clashed in the area you refer to as the Valley of the End."

Sakura gasped at Renji's words. She turned her head towards Tsunade who shared a look with her. Yes, two great powers did collide. It was where Naruto and Sasuke had fought when he had left the village. Who were they and how did they know this information?

"Those powers caused what we call a dimensional tear. This tear allowed creatures from another world enter in to yours. It was a small tear at first but as time has wore on it has become larger. The creatures that have come are what he call Hollows. Hollows feed on the souls of the living—and the dead."

"That's preposterous."

"And yet you have deaths that have increased in number over the last four years that are quite simply…unexplainable." Interrupted Sakura's savior.

This was a serious subject matter and yet Sakura felt that she was going to swoon at the sound of his voice. Yes, swoon, not faint because you swoon you come across something that is deliciously attractive and that is what her mysterious savior was.

"We came to warn you because it has been noted that your people can sense the presence of the Hollows. We will do what we can to help you—however we are currently at war and our help is stretched thin."

It was then that Sakura took note of the weapons that they carried. Swords, finely crafted ones—the likes of which she had never seen. Sakura had never been too keen on weapons. A few kunai and shuriken generally did the trick for her, but a sword…

"Are you telling me that you have the power to keep my people from dying and yet you're choosing to withhold it?" Sakura watched Renji's eyes widen at her master's conclusion. "Do you think you are the only ones at war?"

Sakura decided then that she should speak up lest things get out of hand. "Perhaps, we could sort out some sort of compromise. As ninja, we can sense the presence of the…Hollows, however because we do not having the training that you have—what are you called again?"

"Shinigami." Her savior uttered.

"Shinigami." Tsunade repeated. "I always thought one of you guys would be a bit more…creepy- although the tattoos are disturbing." Tsunade reassured.

Sakura stifled her laughter and studiously looked away from the rapidly angering face of the one called Renji.

"What sort of compromise do you intend to offer?" Her savior asked ignoring her mentor. Sakura looked at Tsunade in askance. Tsunade waved her hand telling her without words to get on with it.

"We would ask that you instruct one of our shinobi in the ways of…the shinigami so that they may come and teach us how to defend ourselves against this threat."

"Only one?" Renji inquired. "You'll need more than one person to defend against hollows."

"Really?" Sakura inquired. She was certain he had glossed over the fact that she said that person would return to teach the others. She was thinking of Iruka…he was a very competent teacher. "I recall only being saved by one." Sakura turned and looked at Renji's companion.

Once more Sakura bowed to him. "My name is Haruno Sakura. May I have the honor of your name?"

A lengthy silence stretched between the two before he answered.

"My name is Kuchiki Byakyua and we will take you with us to train."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

She wasn't exactly thinking of herself going to wherever it was that they were going in order to train. It was also a random idea she just threw out there to keep Tsunade from trying to kill anyone. Could a human being even be a shinigami?

Sakura frowned. No, she wasn't trying to be a shinigami. She was simply trying to learn a way to help the people of Konoha. The unexplained death toll had steadily been increasing. The clans began to demand answers after Hiashi's youngest daughter died for unexplained reasons. She had been summoned to the office in the first place to deliver her findings to Tsunade about the autopsy of the body—their had been no findings.

The arrival of Renji and Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't have come at a better or worse time.

After Byakuya's declaration that they would be taking her with them to train Tsunade had become suspicious. The Hokage had not been certain that she believed that they were indeed, shingiami as they claimed even though Sakura had vouched for them.

Was it mere coincidence that Sakura just so happened to be in her office the day they arrived to tell them about these hollows? Perhaps they wanted something from Sakura that she knew nothing of.

As a result of that the mission was A-class and because Sakura was still a chunin she technically should not have been able to take the mission. Still, Tsunade had to make the exception because no amount of arguing, wheedling, or cajoling was able to make him change his mind.

Sakura was going to Soul Society as they called it.

And it was very likely that all hell would break loose once her team returned and found her gone.


	2. Disturbed

_Title: Disturbed_

_Author: CometheDawn_

_Rating: T_

_Summary: You've got to go to get there._

_Notes: Bleach and Naruto belong to their respective owners._

_*I decided to try out another chapter of this. It's short...so we'll see.*  
_

O.O

Sakura closed her eyes when she felt her teacher's hands rest upon her shoulders. To be honest she was afraid. She was leaving behind the safety and comfort of all she knew to follow behind two men who could very well wish her ill. She didn't honestly believe that but it was the truth nonetheless.

"Sakura, you'll be fine."

"What will you tell the boys…when they come home?" Tsunade noticed the girls hesitation over the 'when'. They didn't know for certain whether or not any of them would be returning home alive. Sasuke was hell bent on destroying Leaf and he could very well do it.

"I will inform them that you are on a mission-not that you need to worry over that anyway. Go and take care. I'll expect progress reports every two to three weeks." Sakura paled slightly at the assumption that she would be gone that long. In her heart of heart she knew it to be true. She wasn't going to see her home in a long time and a pang of regret shot through her heart.

"Yes, master."

"We are leaving." The rich voice cut through the air and Sakura took a step back away from the Hokage. Sakura noticed that the woman's eyes were not on her, but on the man behind her. Her face was full of warning and Sakura sighed knowing that her master did not like Kuchiki Byakyua in the slightest. He really did seem like such a cold fish though. He reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite figure out who. She didn't have the time to anyway. There were much more important things on her mind.

"Goodbye." Sakura said and rushed off after the already departing shinigami. She walked behind them; her footsteps as silent as their own. She had a million questions to ask but her heart was too heavy in those moments to voice them. All she could think was that if she had known then that her separation from Naruto and Kakashi-sensei would be longer than their mission to retrieve Sasuke then she would have spent more time with them, been a little nicer, told them how much she cared but it was too late for all that.

Sakura was so wrapped up in her own musing that she almost didn't see the gateway to another world open before them. Black butterflies flew out the doors and Sakura was captivated by their unearthly beauty.

Renji turned and looked at her immediately catching her attention. "Only shinigami can pass through the Senkaimon."

"Then how do I pass?" Sakura immediately asked. "Is there another—"

Before Sakura could say 'way' she felt pain radiate through her body and she swore fiercely, and then swore some more as she watched her body fall to the ground. He had killed her. He had killed her with one blow to the face. She was dead. Tsunade was right. They meant her harm and now she was stuck in somewhere between heaven and hell because she was foolish enough to follow a beautiful man to her death.

What a way to go.

She had always thought she'd die in an attack on Konoha. She'd go down in a blaze of glory. But such was not the case. She—

"You're not dead." Renji said a sardonic note to his voice probably because she was gaping at her body horrified.

"What the hell do you mean I'm not dead? Look!" Sakura said pointing to her body that lay prostrate on the ground. "I'm not moving. I'm staring at my body. I've got to be a ghost or—"

"A shinigami?"

"I can't be a shinigami. I'm human!"

"Yes, but humans can not enter Soul Society. Only a soul can." Renji explained with a patience that was waning.

"So you killed me in order to take me to Soul Society. I think I would have rather stayed home. Worst vacation _ever._"

"Interesting." Byakyua Kuchiki interrupted drawing Sakura's attention to him. "I thought you more intelligent than this."

Sakura gaped at the man. He might as well have killed her again because insulting her intelligence had to be one of the worst things a person could do. She stared at him stonily but he only stared back—impassively. It was a contest that for some reason she knew she wouldn't win. Sakura's shoulders slumped momentarily before she said.

"Explain to me what just happened."

Byakyua slowly turned his head toward Renji and slightly inclined his head. "As I told you only a Soul can enter Soul Society. So it was necessary to remove your soul from your body so that you could travel with us."

"So you hit me in order to remove my soul. How is that possible?"

Byakyua then raised his hand and showed her his hand covered in a glove emblazoned with a flaming skull on the backside. Sakura assumed it was some sort of tool that was used in soul extraction or something like that.

"Okay, so…what do we do with my body?"

Sakura watched as Renji walked over to her body and slipped something into her mouth. Her body suddenly reanimated and sat up. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked at her body up and moving around.

"Hi!" Her voice called out happily.

"I am…disturbed."

O.O


End file.
